Chapter 36: Guiding at Full Throttle

Even if he was overflowing with composure, he wasn’t the kind of man to fluster like this…

Lee Juju tilted his head.

“I can carry it myself. And you’re supposed to carry your own sleeping bag. How can you make someone else carry your sleeping bag for you?”

It wasn’t just a sleeping bag inside, there were unappetizing rations and two canteens as well, but the reason the backpack looked so bulky was purely because of the sleeping bag.

And Lee Juju wasn’t the only one carrying a large pack.

Most of the members had their own packs slung over their shoulders, and every single one of them was glancing at Lee Juju’s.

…To be fair, it wasn’t as though Lee Juju had always carried his own sleeping bag.

More recently, Michael had practically taken charge of tending to him, and before that, several espers he had been flirting with had practically competed for the chance to carry his pack.

But he had thought there was no one left to do that for him now, so this was unexpected.

After all, the man he had recently taken an interest in was rejecting him…

No, that wasn’t right.

There’s a limit to drinking kimchi soup when the one who’s supposed to give you rice cakes hasn’t even thought about it.

“Then carry my pack instead, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Now, now, Michael. Juju is different from you.”

“How is he different? He’s stuck in the infirmary just like me.”

With an easy grin, Michael wedged himself between Lieutenant Colonel Miles and Lee Juju.

Lee Juju struggled to pull the backpack out of Miles’ hand.

Even while conversing with Michael, Miles held firmly onto the pack, and no matter how hard Lee Juju tugged, he couldn’t get it back.

At one point, Lee Juju’s heels even lifted slightly off the ground.

“That’s enough wasting time. Let’s go.”

Lieutenant Colonel Miles glanced down at his now-empty hand.

Lee Juju’s backpack was in Colonel Shan’s grasp.

Blinking, Lee Juju looked at the bag Shan returned to him with an indifferent expression.

“Thank you.”

He offered his thanks in a small voice.

Shan nodded once and walked past without replying.

What on earth is he thinking?

Lee Juju couldn’t help but mull over the special, or what he had thought was special feelings Shan must have toward him.

Considering the way he tried to protect him and the intense intimacy he had shown before, he didn’t seem any different from an ordinary esper.

And yet, strangely, he kept his distance.

Yes, that was the problem.

One person’s head was full of thoughts about Guiding, while the other behaved like an ordinary man, neat and restrained, how could that not irritate him?

If he didn’t receive Guiding at all, he would raise a fuss, yet he seemed intent on accepting only the most minimal contact Guiding.

From Lee Juju’s perspective, it almost felt like he was some desperate guide trying to seduce a chaste esper into at least one embrace…

‘Ugh, this is the worst.’

Shaking his head, Lee Juju pushed the thoughts of Guiding aside.

“Juju!”

“Sierra, you’re in the other vehicle.”

Lieutenant Colonel Miles stepped in front of Sierra, who was approaching Lee Juju, and pointed toward the military truck behind them.

The vehicles were split into two.

The two highest-ranking officers and the two military doctors boarded the lead vehicle, while the remaining eleven, including officers and noncommissioned officers, boarded the second.

The two vehicles looked completely different.

The lead vehicle resembled a private car more than a military transport.

‘Well… the pattern’s similar, at least.’

Lee Juju rolled his eyes slightly.

He had only seen Colonel Shan control space on a large scale a handful of times, so he had little sense of just how formidable his ability truly was.

Seeing Shan take the driver’s seat instead of a driver, Lee Juju found himself wondering whether the colonel even had a license.

Since good was good enough, he climbed into the passenger seat beside Shan without much thought.

Shan merely cast him a brief glance and said nothing.

Once everyone boarded in orderly fashion, the scenery suddenly began to shift rapidly.

‘Huh?’

The vehicle’s wheels weren’t even turning.

They clearly weren’t…

Yet the ground seemed to be shaking violently.

No, it wasn’t the ground shaking.

The vehicle was moving so quickly that it only felt that way.

Lee Juju hurriedly searched for a seatbelt, but strangely, there wasn’t one.

He darted his eyes around.

“Like a frightened puppy.”

“Excuse me?”

Lieutenant Colonel Miles narrowed his eyes in amusement as he watched Lee Juju fumble.

Even if Miles genuinely found him cute, comparing him to a dog warranted a retort, but he was too startled to even feel indignant.

Are we really safe?

The words nearly rose to his lips.

The scenery outside blurred dizzyingly fast.

How much time passed?

As Lee Juju fell silent and focused on the view outside, Miles seemed to lose interest and stopped talking.

“Don’t stick your head out the window.”

A startled sound escaped him as Colonel Shan grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him back.

Being scolded like a five-year-old was embarrassing.

“I was just curious. Sorry.”

Shan didn’t respond to his muttered apology.

Or rather, he seemed too focused on transporting the entire unit to the Center to spare any attention for conversation.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Lee Juju glanced outside once more.

It felt like flying in an airplane.

Has he always used his ability like this?

Just yesterday, he had thought he should at least Guide him by looking into his eyes.

If he’d known Shan would be using his power on this scale today, he would have gone to him last night.

Espers barging in and demanding Guiding before entering a rift had been the norm in his past.

This was clearly different.

Colonel Shan, focused intently on transporting the unit, twitched his brow at the sudden touch and looked at Lee Juju.

“Are you scared?”

“No.”

‘Then why are you holding my arm?’

That was the look in his eyes.

Lee Juju glanced down at his own hand, which had unconsciously grasped Shan’s arm.

Outside, the rapidly shifting scenery was beginning to slow.

He swallowed.

He didn’t know how far Shan was transporting such a large group, but this kind of ability was something he had truly never seen before.

Shan’s power wasn’t teleportation but spatial control, how could it possibly be used like this?

Whatever the case, there had to be tremendous side effects on his body.

Sliding his hand down, Lee Juju let his fingers brush over Shan’s ungloved hand.

Though he hadn’t begun active contact Guiding, even skin-to-skin contact was enough for Shan to feel the distinct Guiding energy unique to Lee Juju.

The rigid tension in Shan’s face gradually eased.

Watching closely, Lee Juju clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘How lacking must his Guiding be…’

Could he really feel it just from holding hands lightly?

Generally, the less an esper needed Guiding, the duller they were to it.

They might recognize it when receiving direct Guiding energy, but to perceive even the subtle traces a guide unconsciously emitted required the esper’s internal energy to be heavily entangled.

In other words, their body had to be thoroughly worn down.

With a faintly regretful expression, Lee Juju murmured,

“Why won’t you… do it with me?”

From the back seat came a muttered, “What did I just hear?” from Lieutenant Colonel Miles, who had seemed to be asleep.

But Lee Juju paid him no mind, staring only at Colonel Shan.

The scenery outside began to accelerate again.

“You don’t like me because I’m a man, do you?”

“…”

Lee Juju jutted his lower lip and muttered sulkily.

Shan still didn’t respond.

If anything, the scenery outside seemed to blur even faster.

Feeling as though he were complaining to a rock, Lee Juju continued,

“It’s not like I’m dying to do it either. I don’t like people who don’t like me. But your body clearly wants it…”

“…”

“…So why do you keep refusing?”

A massive silence settled over the vehicle.

Lee Juju, focused entirely on pushing Guiding energy into Shan through their joined hands, didn’t notice the heavy atmosphere inside.

Shan, still disregarding his own condition, continued using his ability at full capacity.

It was clear he was eagerly absorbing the Guiding flowing into him.

As though it were nowhere near enough.

In truth, any Guiding he received was immediately being consumed by his ability, like pouring water into a bottomless jar.

At this rate, it was pointless.

What he really needed wasn’t light contact like this.

He needed full-body Guiding.

The kind that involved pressing close everywhere.